Now in his mid-50s, the English composer, conductor, and pianist Thomas Adès initially suffered the same criticism as the young Benjamin Britten 60 years earlier: that he was “too clever”. One of the main culprits for that criticism was his early chamber opera, Powder Her Face, premiered in 1995. Philip Henscher’s libretto was based on the true story of the Duchess of Argyll, whose salacious affairs led to the end of her marriage. She spent her final years in a hotel room, where the opera is set. It was the first opera to feature fellatio onstage – I can’t speak for backstage – and created a fearsome and fearless role for the soprano Jill Gomez. 

Adès orchestrated three dances from the score, later renamed the Three Piece Suite (recorded by Timothy Redmond with the BBC Scottish SO), then added two more movements to form the Hotel Suite (recorded by Nicholas Collon with the Finnish RSO), and now the composer conducts the LPO in his eight-movement version, the Luxury Suite. The music is...